French AML Research at ASH: How National Consortia Are Shaping the Future of Leukemia Trials

News - 05/12/2025

French Leukemia Research Takes Center Stage at ASH

At this year’s international hematology meeting, OPALE members are playing a prominent role in advancing acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and leukemia research, through a series of high-impact abstracts and oral presentations.

These contributions—spanning induction strategies, molecular relapse, targeted therapies, and clonal evolution—offer a clear illustration of what cohesive national research consortia can achieve when clinical expertise, biological insight, and methodological rigor converge.

A Collective Scientific Effort Across French Consortia

Several studies presented today are the result of close collaboration between leading French organizations, including:

  • ALFA – Acute Leukemia French Association

  • FILO – French Innovative Leukemia Organization

  • Société Francophone de Greffe de Moelle et Thérapie Cellulaire (SFGM-TC)

Together, these groups form the backbone of a coordinated national ecosystem capable of generating robust, practice-shaping clinical evidence in leukemia.

OPALE congratulates Christian Recher and Mathilde Chanut, who opened the day with well-attended sessions reflecting both the scientific relevance and international visibility of French leukemia research.

Key AML and Leukemia Studies Presented

Induction Strategies in Younger AML Patients

  • 9:30 AM – Valencia Room W415A | Paper No. 0043
    Induction chemotherapy with a single anthracycline-containing cycle in younger adults with newly diagnosed AML
    BIG-1 Study, on behalf of FILO, ALFA, and SFGM-TC
    Presenter: Christian Recher

This study revisits the foundations of induction therapy, questioning long-established assumptions around anthracycline exposure in younger AML patients.

Therapy-Related Core Binding Factor AML

  • 9:30 AM – Valencia Room W415BC | Paper No. 0037
    Therapy-related CBF AML: a study of the French acute leukemia intergroup
    Presenter: Mathilde Chanut

An important contribution addressing prognosis and biology in a rare but clinically challenging AML subset.

Molecular Evolution and Targeted Therapies

  • 10:30 AM – Valencia Room W415D | Paper No. 0077
    Molecular landscape and clonal evolution in minor versus major BCR::ABL1 CML under tyrosine kinase inhibition
    Presenter: Benjamin Podvin

This study sheds light on clonal dynamics under targeted pressure—an issue increasingly relevant across myeloid malignancies.

Redefining AML: Biomarkers, Genetics, and Response

  • 2:00 PM – W414AB | Session 618
    Acute Myeloid Leukemias – Biomarkers and Molecular Markers in Diagnosis and Prognosis
    Session theme: Redefining AML through genetic, phenotypic, and response-based insights
    Moderators: Raphael Itzykson & Rahul Vedula

This session underscores the shift from purely morphological classifications toward integrated, response-driven frameworks in AML.

Relapse, Salvage, and Real-World Evidence

  • 5:00 PM – Valencia Room W415A | Paper No. 0347
    Salvage strategies and outcomes in CBF- or NPM1-mutated AML at first molecular relapse
    Presenter: Corentin Orvain

  • 5:30 PM – West Halls B3–B4 | Paper No. 1682
    Impact of midostaurin in younger AML patients treated with high-dose anthracycline
    Presenter: Pierre-Yves Dumas

  • 5:30 PM – West Halls B3–B4 | Paper No. 1658
    Real-life use of ivosidenib alone or combined with azacitidine in first-line IDH1-mutated AML
    Presenter: Pierre Peterlin

These presentations bridge controlled trial data with real-world practice, an increasingly critical dimension for regulators and clinicians alike.

Beyond Individual Abstracts: A Structural Message

Beyond the impressive number of abstracts (??) and presentations (??), a deeper message emerges:
scale, coordination, and methodological consistency are becoming decisive drivers of progress in leukemia research.

For OPALE, this reinforces a central conviction: the next breakthroughs in AML will not come from isolated innovation alone, but from collective intelligence applied rigorously at every stage of the trial continuum.